Chasing Swells: Volume 1

By: A. L. Goulden

Narrated by: Matt Haynes

Dean "DeBaz" Bazner is a professional surfer, private about his past and quiet about his future. Like any famous professional athlete, he's got the talent and sponsors, but he hasn't clinched a World Title since his rookie year. Now in his thirties, with a career clock ticking, he's pushing his limits to get to number one again. When a travel writer named Azure Thomas is assigned to observe his journey between events, what seems like a dangerous diversion both in and out of the water, forces Dean to accept that there's more missing from his life than another trophy.

She doesn't know anything about surfing. She doesn't drool over his celebrity. And she sure as hell doesn't ask others to haul her crap around. Azure Thomas has been taking care of herself for most of her thirty years, and this is just another assignment in the changing world of freelance journalism. What she doesn't expect is an athlete who relates to her profound loss and has sacrificed everything except his soul to get to the top of his sport. Dean is more than the hot surfer splashed across magazines, and surfing is more than a hobby. Is it possible that what she can't live without is chasing the next big swell?

©2016 A.L. Goulden (P)2017 A.L. Goulden

3.5 Stars

If you are looking for a slow burn romance set on the pro surf tour of a sexy surfer, this book is for you. Dean is hot, smart, kind and talented. This coupled with a good taste of pro surf culture, and the exotic locales of the surf competitions made this novel a good read.

For Audiobook listeners.
I think the audiobook narrator was poorly cast. His voice was too mature and conservative for the main character. As I listened to the book, I struggled to imagine the cool laid back surf boy that the narrator was trying to portray. The characters voices didn't always vary and I often couldn't distinguish who was speaking. You are probably better off reading the print version.

Awesome Listen!

Chasing Swells by A. L. Goulden pulled me in immediately. The characters are endearing, the descriptions were vibrant, and the storyline was excellent. I really enjoyed this slow burn romance that centered around a surfer. Having grown up around water, I could envision so many details. Matt Haynes was fantastic bringing the characters to life with his voice. He inflicted the right emotions in the book. The character of Azure in the story was my favorite. I will definitely listen to more books by this author and narrator.

Great Story

I listened to this book as a first time audio book, therefore, it took me awhile to get into it. Once I got the hang of listening instead of reading, I started over. Love the characters and the 'butterfly in the stomach' anticipation felt by the female lead, Azure. The writing easily allowed me to submerse myself in the story. Thanks for opening up my world to a new form of entertainment.

Really nice story

What made the experience of listening to Chasing Swells: Volume 1 the most enjoyable?

That the author gave real depth to the characters! Many times most of these romance novel authors have the characters repeat themselves over and over as if they have to fill space because they have no storyline. This book was definitely a page turner and you were genuinely interested in the characters and their budding relationship. Very well written.

Have you listened to any of Matt Haynes’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

no

Enjoyable

I do prefer the dual narrators but the narrator did a great job on his own. I really liked the story and cannot help to wonder if a volume 2 will come out.

What a surprise!

This was such a pleasure! What a surprise. I'm frequently asked to review audiobooks that have been self-published by authors who choose their own narrators. More often than not, it's either mediocre or a complete disaster. But this book was just delightful, a great story and great narrator to boot.

Matt Haynes was an excellent choice to narrate this story. He had just enough range to distinguish each voice and his use of accents was spot on. I think his narration made the story even better.

I learned a lot about surfing; I had no idea all the stuff that goes into it. I also liked the slow burn romance, taking it's time to settle into itself. The characters - all of them - were a lot of fun. The story moved along nicely and I felt like I was right there in balmy Bali, cool, damp Oregon and sunny San Diego. Actually it would have been nice to have stayed in Bali . . .

Goulden has renewed my faith in self-published books and author-published audiobooks. This was definitely a winner.

A story full of angst, humor, and romance!

Chasing Swells is a great book to read for to have a little vacation and get away from life for a bit. AL Goulden does a good job of giving you visual narrations without overloading and dragging the story on. You feel like you are right there tasting the ocean water and air. It does start just a tad slow however, it does not take long for it to pick up and capture your attention. The story is full of humor, angst and romance. You get to know the characters well with enough background to keep them real. AL Goulden did a great job of bringing out the emotions and connection with the characters. You learn that life is not always easy and what becomes of it is what you make out of it. This book will keep you turning page after page to the very end.

Matt Haynes does a good job with the narration. He has a clear and crisp voice that is easy to follow.

This is the first book that I have read by AL Goulden. I recommend Chasing Swells to anyone that enjoys reading a sports novel with some romance.

Surprisingly sweet

Pleasantly surprised by this sweet little tale. Sure, it doesn’t have anything truly groundbreaking or nuanced to say about environmentalism, white saviorism or the South Pacific cultures visited, but at least it’s refreshing to read believable, consistent characters...even when they’re confined to a cute little postcard. It’s a great little escape without the eye rolls typically elicited by this genre. Basically, it’s a well-plated tropical treat.
Also, I personally had no problem with the narrator.

A Great Ride

Title: Chasing Swells
Author: A.L. Goulden
Format: Audio
Narrator: Matt Haynes
Genre: Romance, Sports (Surfing)
Standalone: Yes
Part of a Series: There's a companion novel Chasing Dreams but I don't think Chasing Swells is part of a series
POV: Dean and Azure
Steam Level: Slow burn to steamy
4.5/5

I want more of Dean and Azure's HEA!!! I enjoyed Chasing Swells a lot. There are not a lot of romances that I read that feature surfing as a sport. I liked how A.L. Goulden mixes in the technical aspects of the sport and competition while not deviating too far from Dean and Azure's relationship.

I received this audiobook for free from StoryOrign. This is my honest and voluntary review.